A group of devices may have their batteries charged on one charging device or on individual charging devices within a given location, such as a retail store or a warehouse. While devices in the group are being charged and/or subsequent to devices in the group being charged, each device in the group may provide an indication of its state of charge (i.e., a current percentage of the charge left on a battery being used to power the device). For example, each device in the group that is being charged may include a light emitting diode (LED) that displays a blinking pattern (for example, a blinking green light) and each device in the group that is fully charged may display, for example, a solid green light on its LED. If one or more charged devices is situated among a group of devices that are being charged, the LED pattern from the charged device(s) may be difficult to see amidst the blinking green lights emitted by those devices that are being charged. In addition to indicating the charge state, there may be a need to provide an indication of a specific characteristic associated with one or more devices in the group. For example, there may be a need to provide an indication by one or more devices in the group with the best state of health (i.e., the best current the condition of the battery being used in the device as compared to the battery's ideal condition), the least used battery, and/or the newest battery. In another example, there may be a need to provide an indication by one or more devices in the group with a certain feature, for example, a radio frequency identifier (RFID) reader.
To provide indications of a specific characteristic and/or feature, each device in the group may send its status information to a server and receive information from the server, via, for example, a wireless connection between the device and the server. Such a setup requires a complicated and expensive infrastructure (i.e., the server hardware, software for the server and a device license for each device).
Accordingly, there is a need for a system and method for energy management within a group of devices.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.